Thursday, 30 May 2013

Swedish death metal trio Dead Awaken have recently unleashed a debut album via Abyss Records. Dead Awaken have been going since 2002 and after multiple demo's, have honed their sound and have released this record. Taking their influences from the savage death of Vomitory and Suffocation, as well as the dark imagery of Celtic Frost and Triptykon, they've got a lot to offer extreme metallers everywhere.

With most death metal, you know what you're getting.
Razor-sharp guitars, thrashing drums and low guttural vocals. Dead Awaken are
no different. Plying their trade in a genre that seems to be overflowing can be
difficult, but Dead Awaken stick to a formula that they know people want. Carnivore
opens proceedings in the best way possible, by absolutely ripping you apart and
not letting up. It's only towards the end of the track that Dead Awaken slow
things down. The drums groove like nobodies business during Kingdom of
Damnation. The vocals are almost gargled as they're delivered and the pinch
harmonics add the occasional bite of variation. Rhythmically it's perfect, with
the drums holding station while the other instrumentation keeps up.

Deutsches Afrika Corpse is where things start to change.
Dead Awaken step away from their opening blueprint slightly. Instead of just
focusing on out and out sonic destruction, they inject subtle melody and pace changes,
which give the listener more to hold onto. Don't get me wrong though, it's
still utterly savage! The low-end makes it's presence known as well, with the
bass rumbling underneath the guitar and adding extra weight. Rocket Symphony is
probably the closest you'll get to one, as the pace is slower and with the
longer song length, it seems more thought-out and experimental. There are some
great, simple riffs in it as well. The first hint of a guitar solo comes
towards the end of the song too, nestled within chuggy riffs. The music carries
on in the same vein during Mudhell.

The production is good, but due to a lot of the music being
in the same key, it can get a bit hypnotic at times. If you're after loads of
melody, you won't get it here. Where Hope Turns Dripping Red is all about face
melting, old-school death metal! If you can cope with massive amounts of
kick-drum them Manic Destructive is your song. It may only be just over two and
half minutes long but it rips, especially the squealing solo mid-way through. Dead
Awaken then flatten you with their final three songs, Envy The Dead, Venom of
The Population and State of Corrosion. They fly past in a whirlwind of double
bass and chainsaw-like guitars. The guttural vocals remain constant throughout
and threaten to send you to hell.

I've not heard a death metal record like this for a
long time. It's rare that band just settles in and goes for it for an entire
album, as they normally throw in some clever jazzy gubbins, but not Dead
Awaken. They just blast like the bands that influenced them did. If you're
after some straight-up and insane death metal, look on further than these guys.

Now as a treat, I have the pleasure of streaming "Kingdom of Damnation (Where Hope Turne Dripping Red)" on my bandcamp page. The album isn't currently streaming, so it is one of the only place you can here the song without buying the record. Check it out below:-

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

So, the wheel keeps turning and the evolution of heavy music keeps progressing. One arm of the evolution that keeps growing is Sweden's. Such is the history and influence that the country's innovators posses, they keep spawning new bands like rats breeding (in a good way). System Annihilated are one such band. They hail from Umea and play an amalgamation of death/progressive metal with hardcore touches thrown in. The band started in 2009 at quite an early age and Furor is their debut album. It was released earlier this year through Discouraged Records.Tracklist:-1. This Apocalypse2. Furor3. What We Created4. The Bitter End5. Let The Rain Tear It Down6. Seven7. Parasite

8. We Stand Alone

System Annihilated provide a groove-laden soundtrack to the
chaotic world we live in. Futuristic riffs tussle for space with fast-flowing
drums and rasping screams. They hit their stride straight away with opening
track This Apocalypse.Now they're
progressive but melody isn't forthcoming in the song, instead they prefer to
batter you into submission with modern death metal. Their penchant for atonal
riffs follows on to the title track. They seem to use the same tempo, but this
time they throw in a few more techy breakdowns, which are pretty heavy. They
even manage brief moments of euphoria when the drums pound away is a dramatic
fashion, with a more reserved tempo, acting as a bridge between verses. The
overall effect towards the end of Furor is damn good and shows SA's instrumental
prowess.

They inject more treble into What We Created and the music
still remains furious and upbeat. It's good to hear SA putting some more
musical textures into their music. Even a little variation can go a long way
sometimes! It gets better as The Bitter End comes into view. The lead sits
menacingly at the top of the mix, with some great regimental style drumming underneath.
From there on in it's all about poly rhythms and all-out rabid screams. The
introspective mid-section helps lower the heart rate. That rest doesn't last
for long though, as the final one and a half minutes seem to get heavier. The
intro section to Let The Rain Tear It Down will send a shiver down your spine;
such is the crispness of the guitar melody at the start. I'm bloody sold on
this band already! The song itself underlines the effectiveness of SA's sound
and ends with the crisp guitar that started it all.

The sixth song is called Seven, rather amusingly. That small
observation aside, it's a savage song! As SA pile-drive their way through the
final two songs, Parasite and We Stand Alone, you'll either be left grinning or
just plain out-cold. They don't try and be heavy for the sake of it, but manage
to somehow sound huge. Those riffs, which form the bedrock of Furor, are what
drives it on and keeps the band's energy up. This has been a real surprise for
me. This could well be the album that gets me excited about tech-metal again
and for that, System Annihilated should be applauded!

You can stream music from Furor on Discouraged Record's Soundcloud page below:-

Monday, 27 May 2013

Extreme metal can manifest itself in the serenest and quietest places. Especially black metal, where bands take their influences from the world and nature around them. It's always a joy to discover such bands on your own doorstep, sometimes where you least expected them. This review features two such bands. Úlfarr are from the rolling hills of Cumbria and play depressive black metal. They provide half of this split's eight songs. Hrafnblóð is a sole black metal entity from the Midlands. The four songs that Hrafnblóð contribute are the band's last recorded songs. This split CD has been released by UKEM Records and is limited to 100 copies. It's selling fast!Tracklist:-1. Úlfarr - Intro 2. Úlfarr - Laid To Rest3. Úlfarr - Forgotten By Time4. Úlfarr - Cold in Death II5. Hrafnblóð - Lif and Lifþrasir 6. Hrafnblóð - Descent of The Black Fog7. Hrafnblóð - Fires of Dresden

8. Hrafnblóð - Englaland

Wulfhere begins with an atmospheric and instrumental intro
from Úlfarr, which heralds their side of the split. It's ambient and almost
droning aesthetic is the perfect way to lull the listener in. Once the intro
has finished, Úlfarr go straight into Laid To Rest. Their black metal sound is
as evil as you’re likely to hear. The guitars provide the melody the drums,
while hidden in the mix slightly, provide a great background and the gargled
black metal vocals add intensity. For a depressive black metal band, Úlfarr
also plays with progression and lengthy songs. Both Laid To Rest and Forgotten
By Time are over nine minutes in length.

Forgotten By Time follows on instantly and builds is a more
subtle way. The guitar led ambience opens it and then fades out to reveal
another DSBM hymn. The riffs are shrouded in noise as well, so they don't sound
to precise or clean. As a result, it makes Úlfarr sound more organic and give
them more expression. This song does have a slower pace too it. It's not as immediate
as Laid To Rest, but does retain some pacier moments, where the cymbals can be
heard crashing and the kick drum is more prominent. The bass is more prominent
too, adding more weight to the low-end of the song. It fits in well with the
symphonic elements of the guitar. The song is also more instrumental which shows
off Úlfarr's for expansive sound. Cold In Death II provides some respite with a
nicely played interlude featuring melodic leads and gentle guitar. A great way
to end Úlfarr's side.

Hrafnblóð don't mess around and hit the ground running with
Lif and Lifþrasir. Hrafnblóð has a sound dominated by brass textures and drums,
which seem to pulsate throughout. The vocals are growled but sound as though
they are being whispered. The guitar provides riffs, which add to an all-encompassing
sound. Where Úlfarr were raw and cold, Hrafnblóð are more melodic and warming.
I'm a huge admirer of this type of black metal. It's great to hear music that
wraps itself around you. Descent of The Black Fog does see Hrafnblóð taking a
more menacing path, but the music still retains that majestic edge. The drums,
while programmed, actually fit the music better.

Fires of Dresden begins with a sample featuring air-raid
sirens, which seems fitting. The song itself starts with some great melodic
guitar, which gives way to huge sounds riffs. The relentless battering from the
drums continues to compete with the vocals, while a rare solo squeals through
the thick noise. The spoken word section towards the end brings a haunting
demise to the song. Hrafnblóð's final contribution is that of Englaland. It's a
slower track that shows a different side to Hrafnblóð while still retaining
that majestic quality. That majestic sound I was talking about is perfectly
embodied within the mid-section of Englaland, where the instrumentation does
the talking and hypnotises you. It's a great end to pretty staggering split
release!

This split is probably the best split release of the
year so far. That may be a bold statement but when you compare the stark/cold
approach of Úlfarr against the more majestic/warm instrumentation of Hrafnblóð,
you have the essence of an essential opus. Both bands perform with great
integrity and personality. Hrafnblóð are the standout band for me personally,
but the entire record has a special quality to it.

You don't need me to tell you that UKHC is booming right now. New bands are cropping up and the mainstays of the scene are upping their game too. Recently though, we lost one of our iconic HC labels, Hemlock 13. They've released records/tapes for the likes of End Reign, the short-lived Anguish and more recently, for North East band Control.

I'm sure a lot of you will be familiar with Control. They seem like they've been around forever, but they only emerged in 2010! Since then though, they''ve shared the stage with bands like Madball, toured Europe with Grace and even played my home town of Harrogate (amongst others)!

Their latest demo is now up for streaming and as a "free/Pay-What-You-Want" download via Bandcamp -

Demo 2012 by Control
You may be able to pick up tape copies from the band at up-coming shows, if they haven't already sold out.

Talking of their live shows, here's some video footage from their recent gig with ClearXPath in Newcastle: -

Saturday, 25 May 2013

A few weeks ago now, I reviewed the five track CD, Ioh-Maera from this Finnish ambient collective. Now it's the turn of their four-track vinyl only release Unworeldes, which was released via Svart Records in November last year. For anyone who is familiar with Arktau Eos, you'll know that their sermons are otherworldly and aligned more towards chamber music and ambient music than they are to metal, but are still worthy of the ears of people who like things that are out of the ordinary.

Tracklist:-

1. The Cypress Watcher
2. Cove of The Seven-Winged
3. Black Leaf Gaze

4. Geometry of Emptiness

Much like their movements within Ioh-Maera, Unworeldes
begins with a slow-build in the form of The Cypress Watcher. It's quiet and
haunting, with feedback-ridden noise giving way to minimal sounds and sampled
rain. Musically it's droning at times, however sparingly it's used. You can
imagine a quiet ritual being performed to candlelight, while lightly clad
maidens look on from the shadows. The sedate approach of the opener flows into
Cove of The Seven-Winged. If you're after instant gratification, you're not
going to find it here. Arktau-Eos let their compositions move forward at their
own pace. They don't allow them to end prematurely.

The sound level increases during Black Leaf Gaze, as the
deeper more menacing chamber music style noise infiltrates the record. It's
more guitar based this time and Arktau-Eos don't seem to use any other noise
elements in the piece. Also, for those of you who are not as familiar with the
band, there are no vocals and very little in the way of percussion within the
music, just pure noise and subtle ambience. I like how all four tracks on
Unworeldes seem to follow each other. Even though there are moments of silence
between tracks, they are not obvious due to the composition and structure of
the music.

As Geometry of Emptiness builds, you get a sense that
while this is experimental and somewhat challenging, it's also simple and
calming. Arktau-Eos don't over-complicate the record with highbrow textures or
instruments. It's as accessible as it is untouchable. I'd liken their sound to
that of Sutekh Hexen and Gnaw Their Tongues, as well as the ambient moments of
Ukrainian black metal Moloch. Unworeldes would sit perfectly next to those
bands and fine within the collection of any black metal/experimental fan.

Once again, none of Arktau-Eos's music is streaming on the Internet, but you can find out more and pick up their music from Svart Records at http://www.svartrecords.com/

Friday, 24 May 2013

Bukowski Family are a strange bunch. They take their name from US writer Charles Bukowski and have a fascination with cannibalism and gore. Unpleasantries Abundant is their fourth EP since 2010 and contains five tracks of grindcore infested death metal and gore. The EP will be released in mid-June by Aritificial God Productions. Their image is one of shock and gore and certainly not for the faint of heart!

Unpleasantries Abundant begins in exactly the way you expect
it too, with heavy guitars, crazed double bass and deathly growls. Chair of
Repentance is as brutal a song as your going to hear this year, yet Bukowski
Family manage to inject some melody thanks to some well placed lead sections.
Their music is the perfect accompaniment for torture and defilement! Carne
Humana is the most ravaging song on Unpleasantries Abundant thank to it's
whirlwind pace. This is where their grind influences truly begin to appear.

During the instrumental into to Fountain of Woe, you
gradually feel more and more unsettled, as the anticipation builds. The song
itself is more mid-paced in places, but that only serves to make it sound more
menacing. The guitar harmonies and those blood-curdling growls just make matter
worse! The guitars sound massive during The Perversion of Grim Tanner and
because of this, the song is my standout track on this EP. They have their
angular moments and modern touches, but overall they just slay.

Bukowski Family's strange and incest-ridden characters truly
come out towards the end of this song, as if they are all revelling in the
torture of some unsuspecting soul. 6Teen rounds out the EP, with one last brutal blast of
death metal. Bukowski Family definitely aren't the kind of family that you want
to meet in a dark alley. They conjure images from both horror movies and real life
and provide a fitting soundtrack to the ills of modern life.

To help countdown to the release of Unpleasantries Abundant, I have the pleasure of being to stream fourth track "The Perversion of Grim Tanner" on my blog's new Bandcamp page below. Make sure you take a listen to the song as you prepare for your debauched Friday night:-

It's amazing to see where the blackened end of the metal genre has infiltrated around the globe. It's very prevalent within the UK, Europe and the US, but even more so now in Asia and South America. Eshtadur are one such band treading the left-hand path and playing experimental black metal in Colombia. Eshtadur have been going, in various forms since 2005 and with two demo's and one full length to their name so far, they are about to release a second titled "Stay Away From Evil And Stay Close To Me" via Gate of Horror Productions in June.

Tracklist:-

1. Beyond The Shadows
2. Stay Away From Evil And Get Close To Me
3. Another Alien Messiah
4. Abigor
5. Nightmare In A Church
6. Son Of A Witch
7. Take Me To The Morgue
8. The Girl Who Hated A Priest

9. Mas Alla De Las Sombras (Spanish Version of Beyond The Shadows)

Eshtadur make a very assured start with Beyond The Shadows.
Their musicianship is damn fast, the guitars air on the side of thrash and the
drums pound away with plenty of double bass in the background. The keyboards
add a sinister edge. The melodic leads that Eshtadur possess are as good as
anything their North American cousins can play and the vocals are an amalgamation
of both black and death metal. It seems as though Eshtadur speed up at the
start of the title track. You'll hear a lot of modern touches within their
music, which is no bad thing and thanks to a decent production, the songs are
really enjoyable and not ruined by the muddiness that sometimes affects these
types of albums. The keys during the song a very grand and give the music a
classical edge.

They inject dual high/low vocals into the chorus if Another
Alien Messiah. They also hit a more proggy stride with a spellbinding solo
during the mid-section of the song. One great thing about Eshtadur is that they play very concise
songs, instead of making them too lengthy. It's much better to make an impact
with this for of metal than overstay your welcome and be forgotten and
thankfully, Eshtadur stay on the right side. Abigor and Nightmare In A Church
flash past in a flurry of thrashing guitar and drums, before flailing straight
into the amusingly titled Son Of A Witch. This song again underlines Eshtadur's
modern sensibilities, thanks to a great song structure. Take Me To The Morgue throws in some folk-inspired guitar
alongside more rousing keys. One thing you can definitely say about Eshtadur is
that they're very listenable.

The Girl Who Hated A Priest is the penultimate song
and sounds more like a rock opera, such are its twists and turns. The dramatic
guitar leads and keyboard melodies only add to that feeling too. The album's
closing track is a Spanish version of the opener Beyond The Shadows. Mas Alla
De Las Sombras heralds Eshtadur's Colombian roots and actually has a more sinister
poignancy thanks to the Spanish lyrics. It's an interesting way to round of a
very impressive album that will certainly put both Eshtadur and Colombian metal
on the map.

To get you in the mood for the release of this record, I'm very proud to be streaming the opening track Beyond The Shadows, on my newly launched Bandcamp page. This song was provided with permission from the band directly and will only be up for a limited time. Make sure you check it out:-

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

I remember
the first time I heard the intense emotion of bands such as Usurp Synapse, Neil
Perry and Jeromes Dream. Spending minutes, sometimes almost hours, just
digging through the layer of noise and finally coming up with beautifully
executed melodies, passionate performance and all in all amazing craftsmanship.
The intense emotions being packed into small compact bursts of exploding noise.
I just loved it.That was the
late-1990s to mid-2000s, and I just got into most of these bands just before,
or slightly after, they disbanded. And ever since that, I haven’t quite had the
same feeling listening to emo-violence; I felt bands couldn’t get their heads
wrapped around what made those bands so good. It’s not enough to just copy the
band; you have to know what you want to do and what you want.

Cue Gas Up
Yr Hearse!, one of the best bands around these days. They take from the old
school of screamo/ emo-violence and add their own take to it, mixing mid90s emo
melodies as well as inspiration from other hardcore/ metal genres. On this
5-track EP, none of the songs hit the 1minute mark. Add titles that take about
a minute to read out loud, and you’ll get the idea. It’s like grindcore for the
emo kids. The EP starts off with the extremely intense One Hundred Years From Now I’ll Be Crawling From My Tomb, combining
complicated and intricate drums with extremely distorted guitars and a
gut-wrenching dual vocal attack, combining both “traditional” hardcore vocals
with high-pitched shrieks not unlike Jeromes Dream and Devola.

The EP
continues its destructive path with And
As Her Hand Slowly Crept Up My Spine, adding a more rock’n’roll-twist to
the guitar riffs, making for a subtle and groovy feel before crushing the whole
dream with a brutal breakdown that’s not only fitting, but hard as hell. The
ringing in your ears hasn’t gone away before the third attack; Haunted By The Skeleton In My Own Body,
which is easily my favourite track on the EP. Mathcore-ish drums set up the
extreme terror these 30seconds have to offer with the high-pitched shrieks
piercing your eardrums while the more traditional hardcore vocals works more as
background filler than vocals, making it all sound like a perfectly executed
assassination on your eardrums.

At the End of My Biography I’ll Be Dead follows the previous three tracks
with a heavier leaning towards the chaotic spectre the band is capable of
performing, unleashing 37seconds of pure fury with some good old mosh parts and
breakdowns in the middle of it. The band’s last track, they’re longest on the
EP (at 54 seconds) rounds the release of leaving you exhausted, but wanting
more. That’s Not Where I Remembered
Leaving My Coffin is a mixture of all previous songs with the mathcore-ish
drums, chaotic overload and dual vocal-attacks over a subtle grooving riff.

The few seconds of silence after the EP is over feels like hours. I
personally needed to hear the EP six times to get the hang of it, and that’s a
good thing in my ears. This EP shows an extremely talented and hardworking band
with both legs planted solid on the ground, letting their roots creep up their
legs and inspire them, but not being consumed by them as to not do their own
thing. This is really a band to watch out for; their ethics,
sound, their love for DIY... It’s amazing.

Buy It:
Band is currently sold out, BUT they will make more. Check Plastic Smiles
Records (plasticsmilesrecords.storenvy.com) as they might have a few copies
left. Or just download the EP from bandcamp.

Monday, 20 May 2013

So for this review, I thought I'd pull something completely obscure out of my review pile. Moths hail from Houston, Texas and sent me an e-mail a little while ago, that simply contained links to their Bandcamp and Facebook page. Normally I would just ignore these types of e-mails, passing them off as spam but the fact that they had the wherewithal to place links in the e-mail, suggested they were being genuine so I thought the least I could do was check them out. They class themselves as an experimental/punk/hardcore band and so far they have this EP, as Live Demo and a split with Gillian Carter to their name. So, this is my review of their self-titled EP.Tracklist:-1. Jupitari2. Gold Ghost3. Transit4. You've Reached Marshall5. Asteral

6. Perseids

This sounds very jangly to begin with. Jupitari builds up
with the sound of cymbals and then very nice drumming amid electronics. You
feel like it's building up to a big crescendo, but it refuses to spill over and
leaves you waiting in suspense. Gold Coast is where Moths properly kick in,
with their own brand of screamo. The drums and riffs are fairly off-kilter and
the dual screamers are pretty intense. It has a feel of At The Drive-In to it
at times. Very mathy but less melodic.

The tracks are separated by various interludes of
instrumental music. Transit features some great melodic guitar work, occasional
screams and some samples at the end. They fly back into life with You've Reached Marshall, which
is a lot more urgent than Gold Coast. Even though it's less than three minutes
in length, a lot does seem to happen.

The riffs pulsate during Asteral and sound more like swathes
of ambience than actual guitar. It all comes to rest with more droning
electronics and flows straight into closing song Perseids. This is Moths most
ambitious song at over ten minutes in length. When the electronics die down,
the music is easy to drift off too. It's calming and shows a slightly different
side to the band. It doesn't take too long for the impression to be blown to smithereens
though, as they kick back into their spazzy screamo.

I have to admit; I've not heard anything like Moths before.
They seem to have gained a slight space-age appreciation within their sound and
it certainly gives screamo a new edge. If Moths can get their press approach
right, there's no reason why they can't get positive coverage and reviews,
which in turn will help them pick up new fans.

You can stream this EP below. Physical copies have sold out
but if you like it, you can download from the Bandcamp page: -

Sunday, 19 May 2013

There's always been two black metal bands that I've wanted to feature on This Noise Is Ours. One was Ash Borer and the other was Fell Voices. The reason behind this was not about ego and bragging rites (because I've got no time for ego's) but out of complete fandom. Over the last few years I've been listening to more and more black metal and I've always read about these two bands and I've admired the way they carry themselves and don't follow the press darlings of the scene, down the sideshow path. I got the chance a while ago to feature Ash Borer, which was a huge honour and now Fell Voices follow. This is their new three-track double LP which is due to be released on vinyl by US label Gilead Media and Antithetic Records.

Tracklist:-

1. Flesh From Bone
2. Emergence

3. Dawn

Fell Voices present themselves in a very similar way to that
of the aforementioned Ash Borer. They don't fill Regnum Saturni with countless
tracks with the same sound, instead they put forward three of varying
lengths.Opener Flesh From Bone starts
with a pulsing/droning ambience, intertwined with spoken word samples. This
intro rings out for just over two minutes, at which point you’re greeted with
feedback and harsher almost white noise. Their black metal seems to be very minimal;
the vocals nestle in the background underneath the guitars. The drums also sit
back, apart from the occasional cymbal crash. It's very atmospheric actually,
with subtle melody hiding amongst the continual almost marshal ambience. It
finishes the way it started, with more of that pulsing ambience.

Fell Voices drummer/vocalist has in the past been a live
member of Ash Borer, so there are some, although not intended, similarities
between the two bands. That and the fact they both shared a very well received
split record, which was when they came to my attention.

Emergence starts off in the same manner, except the ambiance
is quieter this time. It's volume does increase slowly though, reaching an
almost maddening volume and forcing you into a trance as it goes. One thing
that gets me with Fell Voices is their ability to play such anti-music without
it sounding horrendous. I'm not being disrespectful by calling it anti-music
but it's going to take a special kind of person to listen to Regnum Saturni in
full. Most people will either be too scared or too weak. For me, what makes
them so captivating is that apparent lack of melody, which as you listen, disappears
to reveal melody. The fact that the vocals are so distant adds a sense of
humility and a feeling of down to earth-ness.

It can at times get truly hypnotic and just when you think
you are about depart, the vocals kick in and jolt you from your daze. The
anguished cries make Mike sound as though he's being tortured. God knows how he
can scream like that and play drums! The closing bars of the song consist of just the droning
noise and those screams. A haunting end indeed!

By the time Dawn roles into view, you're pretty much frozen
to the spot. Even when more melody and guitar is used amongst the initial
noise, it's meant to disarm and unnerve you. With such long, drawn out songs,
you'd think the music would become stale but it doesn't, such is the
captivating aura that surrounds the band. How a trio can make this much noise,
I'll never know!

While there are subtle similarities between Fell Voice and
noise acts like Sutekh Hexen and Gnaw Their Tongues, Fell Voices are so much
more engaging. They sit in the black metal arena but put forward a compelling
case for the scrapping of genre convention. I can't see Fell Voices remaining
the preserve of those in the know for much longer. They're on a cosmic path
that will take them to greater heights.

Now, too wet you're appetites before the album drops in June, you can listen to second tracks Emergence below:-

There seems to have been a big proliferation of duo's in metal recently, especially in the UK doom/sludge/black metal scenes. Falmouth's Monolithian are one such band, though not entirely new, they are starting to make waves and get the earth rumbling around their feet. They're about two release a 12" record with the help of five mighty labels - Church of Fuck, Moshtache Records, Bitter North Record, Atomsmasher Records and Riotous Outburst Records. One/Zero collects their first two EP's. The A side features the four tracks from the sold out One EP (including a Bongzilla cover no less) and side B features the Zero EP.

Tracklist:-

1. Yog Sothoth
2.The Dry
3. Cruithne
4. 666 lbs (Bongzilla Cover)
5. Baptism
6. Under The Obelisk
7. Azothoth
8. The Anointed OneI've always been into the slower more bass-heavy strand of
heavy music and Monolithian seem to satisfy that thirst pretty well. The
absence of lead guitar may be hard for some people to get used to, but once you
realise that the melody, no matter how low, is coming from the bass, all
becomes clear. The low, growling black metal vocals add a menacing edge to
opener Yog Sothoth. As well as performing slow, winding rituals, Monolithian
can also thrash like nobody's business. Just check out The Dry. It's powerful
drumming dictates the pace and it's a polar opposite to the doom tag that
Monolithian carries with them. In between songs they use samples to break the
silence.

There's only one word for the bass riff at the start of
Cruithne - immense! It propels you into a new six and a half minute leviathan. The
noise level just seems to keep rising too and when you think the song is coming
to a conclusion, it kicks back into gear again with another mighty bass rumble.
The final song on the A side is the Bongzilla cover, 666lbs. I don't really
need to say anything here because well, it's just huge! The cool thing about it
is that Monolithian really stamp their own mark on the song and don't worry
about the fact that they don't emulate the lead guitar from the original version.

Side B starts with a kick in the balls by the name of
Baptism. There's more fast drumming at the start of the song and some great underlying
melody as well. It has a different feel to it from the rawness of the One EP on
side A, but it's no less bruising. The bass tone in Under The Obelisk sounds lower somehow, I'm
not sure why though. Maybe I just want it to be!One thing's for sure though, listening to this at high volume
certainly shakes your bowels. I have my speakers perched on top of a chest of draws,
which I thought were quite steady. I'm not so sure now.

After the lengthy build up, the song hits its stride. It
saunters through seven minutes of mesmerising bass riffs, grooving drums;
deathly/blackened growls and Monolithian even manage to throw in some
Bong-esque clean vocals. It's probably my standout track on the record. If you
sit back and listen to the musical textures that Monolithian weaves, you'll be
transported to another place entirely. Just listen to the unnerving noise created
on Azothoth, along with the sample of children talking. It'll move you!

One/Zero is bought to an end by one last rumbling hymn, in
the form of The Anointed One. It's the sound of your world crumbling in around
you. It's the last breath as you're committed to the earth. It's the musical
form of you losing your mind slowly and torturously. To pigeonhole Monolithian
would be missing the point (though it seems like I've tried to with this
review). Their heaviness and their originality breathes new, deformed life into
the heavy underworld which we populate.

The entire record is available for streaming below (via Church of Fuck's bandcamp page):-

Saturday, 18 May 2013

I'd like to hear from bands/labels who might be interested in streaming songs or records on the This Noise Is Ours Bandcamp page. This will be solely to help bands get their music out to wider audiences. You can elect how long your music is streamed for and I would manage the uploading/removing of songs or records.

This is something I've been wanting to do for a while now but am only getting around to posting about it now. So, if you're in a band or with a label and you want to have your music streamed to wider audiences, let me know by e-mailing stayahead1@yahoo.co.uk.

Friday, 17 May 2013

Way back in 2011, I posted some short live "Band of the week" features, with the last one being on the 30/12/11. I recently decided too bring this series back, to help break up the review posts but also to spread the word about random bands that I've come across. Truth be told, there are hundreds, if not thousands of bands out there across the metal stratosphere that people just don't know about, so hopefully those that I do talk about will end up reaching some new ears.
I posted about starting this series on Facebook a couple of weeks ago and one band responded straight away. As first posts go, this one isn't so random, but what the hey!

Norfolk sludgers William English aren't new to This Noise Is Ours. I featured them back in July 2012, when I reviewed their demo. You can read it here.

Anyway, it seems these guys are stepping it up. They've integrated more hardcore influences into their dirty sludge and have released two un-mastered tracks on the t'internet, which will appear on an album soon.

As well as recording new material, these guys have filmed a video for the track "Captain Tugboat", which features a band photo that will strike fear into any parent!

As well as all of this, they're going to be playing with the mighty Moloch, as well as Essex hardcore/grind act Chestburster and fellow Essex newcomers Jotnarr in Colchester on August 30th. You have been warned!

So, there you have it. The first "Random Band of the Week" post and hopefully there's enough here to wet your appetite and to make you want to further explore this bunch of rabid sludge nuts!

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

It's been a while since I last did a label feature, but recently I've been contacted by a few asking if I'd like to review some of their releases. So many in fact that I'd do a series of special features. I'm starting it with Broken Limbs Records, a label that a based in both New York City and the West of Ireland. BLR has been featured here before, when I reviewed the tape reissue of Unsacred's EP Three Sisters, which was released by Invektiv Records, though originally released on CD by this very label.

As with many of the labels I've come across in recent months, head honcho Peadar is a huge fan of analogue formats like vinyl and cassette and as well as running a cool, underground label also used to be an admin for a Facebook called Metal on Cassette and has since branched off on his own with a page called Summoning Spirits, which aims to share and chat about all manor of analogue releases from metal and beyond.

So anyway, back to the task in hand. I've selected a few releases from random, some that have been submitted to me and some that haven't, which I'm going to review to hpefully help spread the word about BLR and the bands they've worked with. These bands cross over many sub-genres, including black metal, folk metal, crust and ambient noise, so there should be something here for every extreme metal fan. So, sit back and enjoy!

Oak Pantheon - From A Whisper

Oak Pantheon are a duo from Minneapolis, who released their debut album through BLR in September 2012. It was released as a limited CD which has long since sold out. They have been gaining new fans at a pretty fast rate since it's release last September and while quiet now, they are still well worth investing you time into.Tracklist:-1. Descend Into Winter2. It3. We Will Tear Down The Gods4. Aspen5. The Ground Beneath You6. Roots of Man7. From A Whisper8. An Altar of Limbs

Whenever I listen to duos, I'm always in awe of the noise
they make. Oak Pantheon just adds to that notion. Descend Into Winter, which
contains a great instrumental build up sounds really clear and concise. The
mixture of cleanly sung post-metal vocals and the more blackened screams stop
the music from being pigeonholed and the melody shows that there are hooks to
be heard and that crescendo of an ending makes this one hell of an opener. The
bells that punctuate the guitar at the start give it a haunting almost
gothic feel. The soundscape created is icy cold, with the quiet whispered
vocals making it even colder. The riffs that sit underneath the growls are
hypnotic, as are the drums.

We Will Tear Down The Gods changes the mood with some really
nice acoustic/folk inspired guitar. The singing conjures up mystical images in
my head, before the more reigned-in growl is heard. It ends with the sound of a
running stream and calm acoustic guitar, which builds in intensity before an
almost symphonic section closes things. It's actually a surprisingly upbeat
ending to the song. Listening to Aspen and I hear subtle thrash-metal textures
during the riffs. The majority of the song though is resplendent in Oak
Pantheon's signature soundscape. I'm one of those people who like the more
ambient/grand side of black metal; listening to this is a treat. The more
post-metal elements really make From A Whisper a truly listenable opus. Where
Oak Pantheon does succeed is in their song-lengths. It never seems like they've
ended a song for the sake of it. They let them reach their logical conclusion
and keep the record flowing as one whole.

The halfway point comes and goes to reveal the acoustic
beauty of The Ground Beneath You. It again underlines Oak Pantheon’s preference
to let their instruments and their musical skill do the talking, instead of
injecting some pointless gimmick into the album. It's an instrumental piece
that you could truly get lost in. Roots of Man follows in the same vein and
soars to a majestic end with some great lead work. Much like the rest of the
album so far, it follows on in a way that shows that Oak Pantheon have put
considerable thought into their song placing and structure. It's great when you
listen to an album and the order makes it sound like a band is trying to tell a
story through the music. The title track is the most majestic of them all, both
in length and in instrumentation, which underlines how good Oak Pantheon are.
Just listen to the lead work throughout the song to see what I mean!

As a song, it actually
passes quite quickly and flows with subtler acoustic guitar, into final hymn
Altar of Limbs. It's got more of a metal edge to it this time, during the
heavier sections, relying less on the quieter more introspective elements and
more on black metal. There's more buzzsaw riffing and chaotic drumming here,
but it seems to be reigned in and doesn't spoil the aesthetic of the album.
It's this control, which singles From A Whisper out as a genuinely immersive
record. If you're a lover of finer music, which is full of great musicianship
and ideas then Oak Pantheon are a band you should be checking out.

The next release I'm chosing to explore is the split tape from Texan blackened crust duo Cara Neir and their New Hampshire brethren Ramlord. This four track tape was released in June 2012.Here, Cara Neir contribute three tracks and Ramlord add one lengthy track.Tracklist:-1. Cara Neir - Family Dirge2. Cara Neir - Cradled By Apathy3. Cara Neir - Wilted Blue

4. Ramlord - Application of Clairvoyance (Part 1)

Cara Neir certainly do open up with a crusty, blackened
stench. Their brand of black metal is raspier and certainly more hellish,
probably more akin to Watain than some of their more ambient peers. That being
said, they do inject ambient, introspective passages into split opener Family
Dirge, thanks to some clean guitar. It's a great opener, as its short and sharp
but provide a great insight into what's to come from their other two songs. Cradled
By Apathy features furious guitar, as well as some startling feedback at times.
The drums pound away in the background and sound really organic, thanks to the
recording and production. They flit between slow and fast passages, with raging
vocals steering the song forward. Again, there's some really good lead guitar
work, providing melody. With the longer length of this song, Cara Neir pursue
more texture and ideas, as well as letting the song flow more. It certainly
gives the listener more to grasp onto. With Wilted Blue, they include some
great off-kilter drumming in the intro. The bass provides some crunch, which is
set against the melody of the guitar. For a duo they again sound louder than
they should and the production does a good job of bringing out some of the
subtleties in their music. The low growls also are pretty menacing, as it's the
first time you really hear them, as opposed to higher screams, which are more
prevalent.

Ramlord offer up one lengthy track of bass heavy, winding
metal. Again it's on the crusty side, but is also sludgier. Their rumbling
sound shakes your eardrums at high volume.After the initial build up though things start to speed up, thanks to
some epic drumming and razor-sharp riffs. When the vocals kick in they are low
growls more akin to grind vocals. There are two vocalists, much like there were
in Cara Neir. Ramlord though, to my ears anyway, sound heavier. Ramlord
are pretty enthralling, but in a different way to Cara Neir. They do have black
metal influences within the music, but due to the slower/dirtier pace of it, it
takes you longer to spot it.However,
by paying that attention, you get a lot out of it. Some people though may find
ten minutes too much to take, but I say to hell with them. The song balances
out Cara Neir's side well and provides fans with the chance to check out a
different band, which they might not have heard.

It's another cool split tape, which help BLR carry their
ethos of releasing nice analogue records. It also throws light over another two
great additions to the wider US black metal scene.

Onto another BLR tape release and this time it's the three track EP from Colorado black metal band Deafest. This was released in July 2011 and was limited to 50 copies. After a couple of line-up changes, Deafest decided to head down the instrumental route and their main influence is the countryside around them. You just have to look at the artwork above to realise the bleakness at which they take their ideas.

Tracklist:-

1. Fog Rolls Down The Slopes
2. Over The Ridge

3. Rock Spires Above The Trees

I've found myself listening to more instrumental black metal
over the last year as well. It's been mainly ambient and has always been
something I go back to when I've exhausted my ability to listen to extreme
metal. Deafest however play extreme metal, just without vocals. They make a
very different sound. It's very guitar driven, but instead of thrashing them to
within an inch of their lives, they play more drawn out riffs and let subtle
melody infiltrate their music. The drums in the background on Fog Rolls Down
The Slopes sound huge as well, but then they have to when they're competing
against the guitars. The great thing about instrumental music is that it allows
you to use your imagination more. The music really lends itself to that
imagination as well. You can imagine the cold clouds rolling in over mountains
and the rain running off fields into swollen rivers.

Over The Ridge has that feeling of the frontier too it. The
melody at the start sounds quite upbeat, even when it's amplified. That
transition they make back into slower territory though brings the mood right
back down. At times there is a more metallic edge to the song too. They carry
their momentum through to last track Rock Spires Above The Trees. It's the
longest song on the EP, but as a result is also the most inspiring and
strangely, uplifting too. I love the melody and ambience of this release, as it
breaks up the distorted low end very well. The quieter moments let you breathe
and relax, in case it becomes too much for you.

It's a hell of journey this one, taking you through
low valleys and lifting above soaring hills and it changes pace and mood
effortlessly.

The final review I'm doing in this feature focuses on Hunter's Ground and their recent record, No God But The Wild. This was BLR's most recent release, coming in October 2012. This intial run of CD's that were pressed by BLR have long since sold out, but there is a full pressing on the way. Hunter's Ground are from the Appalachian region in the US, so expect cold, harsh black metal.

Tracklist:-

1. A Storm of Crows
2. Their Hands Were Stained with Her Dripping Blood
3. And Fed Their Flesh to the Vultures
4. Speaking in the Tongues of Trees
5. No God But the Wild

6.
The Fireless Winter

As I can to the end of my first label feature, I feel that
my eyes have been opened to the sheer breadth and variation that exists within
black metal. All the bands I've reviewed sound different and Hunter's Ground
are no exception. Their brand of black metal is probably the evilest I've heard
recently. They have that trebly guitar sound that you tend to associate with
black metal, the pounding drums and the raspy screams. A Storm of Crows is a
great into to this trio.

The vocals are slightly lower on Their Hands Were Stained
With Her Dripping Blood, which give the song that extra sinister bite. It's
more mid paced than the opener and Hunter's Ground settle into a bit of a
groove during the gaps between verses. As And Fed Their Flesh...rings out,
there's no escaping this bands torturous sound. It's almost bilious yet still
restrained. The production on this record makes sure that the music doesn't
sound too polished, giving a more live feel, which is always good. I think
polished production jobs can sometimes make albums sound quieter and sterile,
but it not the case here.

Speaking In The Tongues of Trees is an instrumental piece,
which features almost choral singing, sitting atop of droning guitar driven
riffs. There's echo effects thrown in to the mix as well and it's a welcome
excursion from HG's blackened nightmare. They inject a lot of good musical variation as well, like
subtle "rock and roll" influences (though these are few and far
between). They are certainly very adept black metal musicians. They do abandon
some of their black metal sensibilities though during the second half of No God
But The Wild. The title tracks features more singing as well as some post-metal
soundscapes. These passages fit really well into the album, especially during
longer songs.

As No God But The Wild rages to a close, you're left with
one last brief moment of silence before The Fireless Winter hails the closing
of the record. Another song that flits between mid-paced passages and fast
black metal, where the guitars are once again king. It’s the song where those
choral elements are at their most haunting.

No God But The Wild is another example of the
non-pretentious black metal that's coming out of the US at the moment. Hunter's
Ground is another band to keep an eye on too.

I do have some more releases from BLR to review, but they will come at a later date. I thought I would give you time to appreciate the bands featured here and to allow you time to investigate Broken Limbs Recordings for yourselves.

Since I started this blog, I've got to know so many like-minded people who are either in bands, run labels or just like music. Sometime, even people that fall into all categories. One such person is Christer Lunnan-Reitan. Christer runs a label called Listen To Aylin Records in Oslo, Norway (which I'll be featuring here in a few weeks) and has released music for bands like Suis La Lune, Her Breath on Glass and Calvacades.
As well as running a label, he also sang in a number of bands in Norway, including screamo band Adoor.

I asked Christer if he would contribute some reviews to my blog, after numerous conversations on Facebook about Japanese screamo as well as screamo in general. Christer is a huge fan of screamo/emo bands and as I wanted to know about more bands from the genre, I thought there'd be nothing better than inviting him to share some of his favourite bands and records. So, without wasting any time, here's the first review in a series I'm calling "Great Northern Screamo". It features Japanese hardcore/screamo band Dip Leg.

I’ve only
recently heard the music of Dip Leg, though this release should be one of the
easier ones for Japanese hardcore-fans to get a hold of. Seeing as it’s the
first international release for the band, you would think they would get more
attention now that people still go nuts over ENVY and Heaven In Her Arms.

Dip Leg
plays a much more ferocious brand of hardcore/scream/chaos than the above
mentioned bands, blending more chaotic and spastic elements into ambient-parts,
but never crossing over into the realm of post-rock or post-metal/ sludge a la
ISIS, Year Of No Light (although I’d recommend Dip Leg for people into those
bands as well). The lyrics are all in Japanese, but the CD has the English
translation of the lyrics in its booklet.

The record
starts off with Ideal and Fact,
setting the tone for the entire records; after a second you can hear what the
band is capable of, with driving bass lines, mesmerising guitars and guttural
vocals over incredible driving drums. Chaotic and intense hardcore, blending
into a hypnotically epic masterpiece. The record continues into Rod Lost Die Understand, a more
typically screamo-sounding (and I use
the word screamo and emo in the best possible sense, no My Chemical
Romance-esque-bands intended) with lots of clean-ish guitars and driving drums,
quirky rhythm changes and extremely passionate and sincere vocals.Crossing over into shouted and sung vocals
at times, the screamed vocals still dominate the sound as a whole. I decided to
only talk about these two tracks as they show the different outskirts of Dip
Leg’s sound, showing their span within their own hardcore-blend.

If I should
compare Dip Leg to another band that’s similar, I have to say it sound like a
combination of early Envy, Kaospilot and We Came Out Like Tigers; The clean
guitars with the fascinating and beautiful melodies, wrapped together with an
extreme intensity and sincerity as well as epic segments that leaves you rather
breathless. But at the same time, Dip Leg have their own unique sound and style
(as I find typical to the whole Japanese emo/ screamo/ chaos-scene, a scene I
love), making it sound refreshing and simply amazing compared to the
run-of-the-mill conveyor belt emo made at the Hype Factory.

It’s hard
to pinpoint the strongest tracks and moments on the record, as all of them
excel in what they try to accomplish; drivingly brutal, but yet emotional songs
without being sappy or cliché.This is
true passion and sincerity, the way hardcore is meant to be played. Even though
Dip Leg stray away from typical clichés, I’m afraid I have to use one to fully
explain this music; this is passion, not fashion.

Pick this
up from the label (formerly called I’ve Come For Your Children, now called
Meatcube), support a great band and a fantastic label.

Sunday, 12 May 2013

Here's my last Orchidscent Records review. This release is also a little different to previous records I've reviewed. It features We Are The Sons of Faow Verny, who feature various members of bands who have all released records through Orchidscent and are more of an acoustic, folk act. This is their first CD and was put out as a collaborative release by Orchidscent, A l'ombre de cette vie and No Way Asso. The CD came in a very imaginative case, a two-sided and folded sleeve which had the artwork on the front and inside housed the lyrics and credits. It even came with a band logo sticker! Check out the picture below (courtesy of the bands own Facebook page)

Tracklist:-

1. The Oddreamers
2. I'm So Bad
3. The Better Days
4. After The Shore
5. Grace O'Malley's Ballad
6. The Grimreapers

7. The Sons of Faow Verny

The first thing that people will notice about Grimreapers on
Unicorns: Book 1 is that the vocals are in English. The members playing in
...Sons of Faow Verny would ordinarily be heard in French speaking bands. This
band is very different though. There's no electric guitar or screaming. Acoustic
guitar, clean singing and a glokenspiel replace these instruments!

It's very folky and for the most part, it's instrumental. It
has a lot in common with traditional French folk music, in the use of different
instruments alongside the traditional guitars. The glockenspiel and other
percussion add texture and interested to their music. The Oddreamers opens
things up nicely with the aforementioned glockenspiel and a great melody. I'm
So Bad features so ingenious drumming, which starts things off in restrained
fashion. A tambourine keeps the beat for the rest of the song. The guitars here
almost sound Hispanic and the vocal harmonies show that all the members are
fully into what they're doing.

It's always interesting to hear music written by people who
normally play in metal/hardcore bands that isn't heavy or in their comfort
zone, as it shows you how accomplished they are as musicians and that they are
for the most part, multi-dimensional. This is definitely the case with ...Sons
of Faow Verny. After The Shore is interspersed with a sample with a lot of
meaning, which hints at the thought put into the song. Grace O'Malley's Ballad,
as the name suggests, has an Irish folk feel to it. It's really quite effective too. I could just imagine these
guys playing in a traditional pub in Ireland, with everyone having a great
time.

The keyboard makes itself heard more during The Grimreapers.
As the title closes this CD, it's been a really pleasant surprise. If you are
tired of listening to heavy music and want something creative and more
restrained, you could do a lot worse than pick this up.